Wilting
by meekshallinherit
Summary: There are some days that make Audrey feel as if she's wilting like a flower. It turns out Seymour is an expert in fixing that sort of problem.


Audrey knew that she had to be one of the only people that dreaded having a day off of work. There were some times when she needed them, for sure. She often needed to catch up on sleep after spending the night at her second job. And the nights when she had a date usually left her in even worse shape. But just because she probably needed some time to sit around the apartment and relax by herself didn't mean she had to like it.

Every time she looked across the street through the window, she could see that there weren't any customers, the same way it usually seemed to be. Her boss was sitting and reading the paper while Seymour was sweeping up a broken pot, his eyes guiltily lowered down to the floor. She wanted to be over there to tell him that it wasn't his fault, and that he didn't deserve the insults Mr. Mushnik had surely yelled at him. And she wanted to spend the day talking to him, because it always made him seem so happy when they were talking, and it would make her forget all about how tired she was or how sore her wrist was, and everything would seem better than it was while she was here alone. Even seeing the plant in her own window only reminded her of the shop full of green over there. And the way the little flower was currently wilting seemed to match exactly the way she felt.

Maybe she should have found another way to spend the time then thinking about that sort of thing, because she eventually found herself feeling desperate to talk to him. If she wasn't thinking of him, then all she could think of was the throbbing bruise on her wrist and how it hurt every time she moved, and how scared she'd been while it happened. She _needed_ to hear his voice. She knew that she shouldn't bother him, but it still wasn't enough to stop her from picking up the phone.

"Mushnik's floral shop, how can I help you?"

But as soon as she did hear his voice, she immediately felt foolish. How was she going to explain why she was calling? Maybe she should just hang up. Hovering indecisively, she started trying to duck out of sight of the window, but the movement only caught Seymour's attention. His face lit up when he saw her, and he gave an enthusiastic wave.

"Audrey! Hi!"

Well, she couldn't just hang up now. But she couldn't really find it in her to mind. Everything already seemed so much better. Though she still did have to find some reason to explain why she was calling.

"Hi Seymour, I just…" Once again, her eyes fell on the drooping plant, and she decided that wasn't a bad idea. "The flowa' I've got here isn't doing too well. If you don't mind, I thought you might have some advice. Ya know, since you're so good with plants and all."

The moment she said it, she started to worry that it was a terrible excuse. He'd probably think it was ridiculous that she'd call over something like that. Maybe she should just apologize and put the receiver down again.

But before she could, Seymour responded with, "Hold on a second, I'll be right back."

She watched him wander away from the phone, pausing briefly to say something to his boss before continuing down to the basement. Though she didn't have a hope of making out what was happening, she could easily imagine hearing Seymour explain what she'd said and Mr. Mushnik rolling his eyes and scoffing.

Hardly a minute later, Seymour returned with a book in hands. He picked up the phone again and held it against his ear with his shoulder as he began thumbing through the pages.

"So, what seems to be the trouble?"

She was hugely relieved to see that he didn't sound annoyed. He actually looked like he was taking it a lot more seriously than she expected.

"Well, I… I'm not sure, exactly. It definitely doesn't look quite right. I don't know why, I've been giving it the same amount of wata' I always have."

"I'm sure it's not your fault. There's lots of ways a plant can get sick." He was quick to assure her. "How do the leaves look? Are there any holes or spots?"

She looked down at the plant, idly touching a few of the leaves as she gave it a quick once-over. "No, I don't think so."

"That's good." He replied cheerfully. "Means there aren't any bugs eating it. It could be a fungal infection, maybe. Do you see any rings or growths?"

Just to be sure, she double-checked again. "No, none of those eitha'."

He flipped through a few more pages before settling on another possible cause. "Do the leaves look pale? That can sometimes mean that a plant's getting too much sunlight."

She'd be amazed if anything could get too much sunlight in this sort of place, but she figured Seymour knew what he was talking about, so she still paused to consider. "No, it's sort'a the opposite, actually. Some of the leaves are starting to turn a little black."

Seymour nodded once, which nearly made him drop the phone, but he quickly fumbled to grab it and put it back against his ear. He quickly flipped to the page in his book labeled 'discoloration,' and traced a finger down the chart of various symptoms and their causes. "Seems like it's a nutrient deficiency, probably potassium. I can bring over some potash after work, if you want. That should get it perking up again."

"Sure, that would be-"

She didn't manage to finish thanking him before another form entered the window, and she saw Mr. Mushnik scowl as he stepped close enough that she could hear him over the phone.

"Krelborn, what exactly are you up to over here?"

Seymour was apparently too wrapped up in the conversation to notice his boss's irritated mood, and looked up from his book with an upbeat smile. "I'm helping Audrey with the flower she keeps over there."

Mr. Mushnik folded his arms as he continued stare Seymour down. "I thought you said you had to take a break for something important."

"It is important. Audrey loves that plant."

Mr. Mushnik was quiet for a moment, letting the glare explain for itself that he saw the whole thing as a pointless waste of time, before finally responding with a stern, "Hang up the phone."

Seymour looked back out through the window to give Audrey a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'm gonna have to go. Is there anything else-"

"_Now_, Krelborn."

Audrey gave a quick wave of her hand to assure him she understood. "It's alright, I'll let you get back to work."

"We close in a few hours. I can drop off the potash then, if you want?"

"Thank you, Seymour. That's really very-"

It was at that point Mr. Mushnik pulled the receiver away and slammed it down again. Seymour was quickly scurrying back to work again, no doubt with his boss complaining the whole time.

Audrey couldn't help but smile as she continued distractedly running a finger along the leaves of her flower. Her co-worker really was such a sweetheart. She didn't know if she'd ever get used to having someone who never did anything that made her feel like she was bothering them. She didn't know about the plant in her window, but she already felt a lot less like she was wilting.


End file.
